Letters
by SeverusS19999
Summary: It's Janeway's birthday, and Chakotay wants to add a personal touch to his gift. However, it proves to be much harder than it looks. Mostly just a friendship drabble, but a little J/C fluff. One-shot.


**=== 76. LETTERS ===**

A/N: All the standard disclaimers apply. This was written for 100_prompts' 100 Prompt Table A. It's my first attempt at a one-shot, so it's not all that fantastic. Advice would definitely be most appreciated.

* * *

Another crumpled sheet of replicated paper flew across the room, settling on the cold, hard floor of Chakotay's quarters like a falling twig severed mercilessly from its branch. Seated at his desk - which was showing the early symptoms of hapless clutter - Chakotay rested his head in his hands, fingers kneading his forhead in frustration. Even at the best of times, letter-writing was about as simple as Klingon opera.

"Computer, one sheet of white paper." Chakotay's replicator rations were certainly going to suffer for this. He glanced down at the only small square of aluminium tabletop not buried in paper, framing a perfectly-wrapped blue giftbox. It was barely larger than a matchbox, but Chakotay would gladly live of Neelix's cooking for months if it meant getting this right.

The commander straightened himself in his chair, wistfully fingering the twentieth century device upon his desk known as a pen. It seemed simple enough - Tom had vivaciously explained the basics - but Chakotay was still finding it uncomfortable to grasp. Once again, he picked it up and musingly began to scrawl:

'Dear Kathryn,  
I hope you have a wonderful birthday. I brought you this special something. Perhaps we could meet in Holodeck 1 at 1800 hours tonight for some dinner ... as friends, of course. Great!  
Chakotay.'

Almost immediately after punctuating the final sentence, Chakotay balled up the paper within his fist, flinging it aside to join its predecessors. Everything he wrote felt too suggestive, or too awkwardly inexpressive. He had to admit, writing had never been his forte - technical reports were about his limit - but he wanted to tell Kathryn exactly how much she meant to him - as a captain, and as a friend. Admittedly, he had even considered them becoming something more, but respected her boundaries, and would never consider bending them if it could jeopardise their trust.

"Computer, one sheet of white paper." Chakotay droned, for what must have been the hundredth time. He was going to get this right, even if it took him the rest of the night.

* * *

Kathryn Janeway had not lost her temper since Voyager's last encounter with the Vidiians, but she figured that was about to change. She jabbed the COMM button for Chakotay's quarters for the fourth time and waited, arms folded. It was 1300 hours and the commander had failed to attend both the staff meeting scheduled for the morning and his duty shift. In fact, he seemed to be ignoring her all together.

He had not called in sick, and had not checked in with the doctor. The confused captain could not recall anything she had said that may have offended Chakotay. She hoped nothing serious had happened to him - it *was* her birthday after all, and it was entirely unlike the Chakotay she knew to miss the celebrations.

After waiting several more minutes without a response, Janeway keyed in her manual override, striking the keypad with her deft fingers. The door slid open.

It looked as though half the Klingon army had torn through Chakotay's quarters - and maybe then some. The floor, and several other surfaces, were encapsulated in crumpled balls of ... paper? The captain paced over to a sleeping Chakotay, slumped in a most awkward position, and barely percievable amidst the muddle. She looked down at the contents of the topmost sheet:

'Dear Kathryn,  
I hope you have a wonderful birthday. I picked this out especially for you; I think it will match your eyes beautifully. I don't know if you realise how much our friendship means to me, and I don't know why it takes an occasion such as this to explain. You make one hell of a captain, and an even better friend. In fact, our friendship must be one of the most ...'

The rest of the page was obscured by the commander's resting form, but Kathryn Janeway did not need to read any further to prevent a childish smile from encapsulating her face. Despite all the time she had spent with Chakotay, he could still manage to surprise her, even if he was a little hopeless.

Janeway silently turned on her heel, still internally grinning to herself. Neelix would have just about finished decorating her birthday cake. It was one of her grandma's old recipes - she wouldn't miss it for the world.

Stepping back into the corridor, she eagerly went to rejoin the festivities, leaving Chakotay to slumber peacefully atop his stack of heartfelt letters.

* * *

A/N: Err ... just in case anybody was wondering, Chakotay's gift *wasn't* a ring ... it was a necklace. I couldn't make things that easy for him.


End file.
